Sacramento Digs Gardening logo
Sacramento Digs Gardening Article
Your resource for Sacramento-area gardening news, tips and events

Articles Recipe Index Keyword Index Calendar Twitter Facebook Instagram About Us Contact Us

Spring arrives Sunday, and the gardening calendar is packed

Workshops, plant sales and open gardens offered all over the region

Irises in pots on table
Irises are among the types of plants that will
be for sale during the many April events. April 23-24
are the dates for the Sacramento Iris Society's
show and sale.(Photo: Kathy Morrison)

While we figure out what the weather is going to do the rest of the month, and where the tomatoes are going to go in this year, we can take a few minutes to note some big dates on our gardening calendars. The season, especially April, is going to be very, very busy, as the Sacramento region anticipates its first mostly normal spring in three years. Most but not all of these events involve weekends.

We'll have more on the April events as they get closer, but consider this your "save the date" notice.

Saturday, March 26

-- "Planning Your Vegetable Garden" workshop, in person at the Loomis Library but viewable via Zoom. 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Presented by the UCCE Placer County master gardeners. Registration required for Zoom viewing. Register here .

-- "Back to Basics" workshop,  9 a.m. to noon, El Dorado Hills Library, 7455 Silva Valley Pkwy, El Dorado Hills. Presented by the UCCE El Dorado County master gardeners. Recommended for novice gardeners. https://mgeldorado.ucanr.edu/

-- Sacramento Valley Cymbidium Society Show. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Shepard Garden and Arts Center in McKinley Park, East Sacramento.

Saturday, April 2

-- Spring Plant Sale, Yolo County master gardeners. 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Woodland Community College, 2300 E. Gibson Road. Tomatoes, herbs and perennials among the plants for sale. Details at https://yolomg.ucanr.edu/ , including a link to the plant list. Repeated same time and location on April 9.

-- Capital City African Violet Show,  10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Shepard Garden and Arts Center in McKinley Park, East Sacramento.

Saturday, April 9

-- Spring Garden Faire, Placer County master gardeners. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Maidu Community Center 1550 Maidu Drive, Roseville, rain or shine.  Talks, workshops, crafts, food trucks, plant vendors, door prizes and more are planned. Details here.

-- Member Appreciation Plant Sale, UC Davis Arboretum Teaching Nursery. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. In a departure from past sales, this in-person sale is only for members of the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum, but it's easy to join. Repeated April 30. https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/plant-sales

-- Spring Plant Sale, Yolo County master gardeners. 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Woodland Community College, 2300 E. Gibson Road. Same as April 2 sale; see above.

Saturday, April 9 and Sunday, April 10

-- American Bonsai Association Show, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. Shepard Garden and Arts Center in McKinley Park, East Sacramento.

Wednesday, April 13

-- Open Garden Day, 9 a.m. to noon. The garden will be blooming and Sacramento County master gardeners will be on hand to answer questions. Fair Oaks Horticulture Center, Fair Oaks. https://sacmg.ucanr.edu/?calitem=521775&g=21788

Saturday, April 16

-- Plant Sale, El Dorado County master gardeners. 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. This first of two spring sales will cover "edibles." (Second sale is April 30.) Sherwood Demonstration Garden, Placerville. https://mgeldorado.ucanr.edu/

Saturday, April 23 and Sunday, April 24

-- Sacramento Iris Society Show and Sale. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Shepard Garden and Arts Center in McKinley Park, East Sacramento.

Saturday, April 30

-- Sacramento Rose Society Show and Sale, noon to 5 p.m. Shepard Garden and Arts Center in McKinley Park, East Sacramento.

-- Member Appreciation Plant Sale, UC Davis Arboretum Teaching Nursery. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. In a departure from past sales, this in-person sale is only for members of the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum, but it's easy to join. Last of two spring sales. https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/plant-sales

-- Plant Sale, El Dorado County master gardeners. 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Second of two spring sales will feature trees, shrubs, succulents, native and perennial plants. Sherwood Demonstration Garden, Placerville. https://mgeldorado.ucanr.edu/






Comments

0 comments have been posted.

Newsletter Subscription

Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.

Taste Spring! E-cookbook

Strawberries

Find our spring recipes here!

Local News

Ad for California Local

Thanks to our sponsor!

Summer Strong ad for BeWaterSmart.info

Garden Checklist for week of May 12

Get your gardening chores and irrigation done early in the day before temperatures rise.

* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. Time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.

* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.

* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions. This heat will cause leafy greens and onions to flower; pick them before they bolt.

* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters.

* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.

* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.

* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.

* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.

* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.

* Got fruit trees? If you haven't already done so, thin orchard fruit such as apples, peaches, pears, pluots and plums before they grow too heavy, breaking branches or even splitting the tree. Leave the largest fruit on the branch, culling the smaller ones, and allow for 5 to 6 inches (or a hand's worth) between each fruit.

* Thin grape bunches, again leaving about 6 inches between them. For the remaining bunches, prune off the "tail" end, about the bottom third of the bunch, so that the plant's energy is concentrated in the fruit closest to the branch.

* As spring-flowering shrubs finish blooming, give them a little pruning to shape them, removing old and dead wood. Lightly trim azaleas, fuchsias and marguerites for bushier plants.

* Add mulch to the garden to help keep that precious water from evaporating. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch to 1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.

Taste Summer! E-cookbook

square-tomatoes-plate.jpg

Find our summer recipes here!

Taste Fall! E-cookbook

Muffins and pumpkin

Find our fall recipes here!

Taste Winter! E-cookbook

Lemon coconut pancakes

Find our winter recipes here!

Join Us Today!